A Cinderella Story
by PrincessSpenserJaye
Summary: *This is my version of the movie by the same name starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.* After the war, those who didn't, have the option to return to Hogwarts and finish their education. Hermione discovers a journal that seems to deliver whatever is written to another. After thoroughly checking it's not cursed, Hermione claims the journal and possibly, a new friend.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey all! I'm so, so sorry I've been MIA for a long while. This is something that just popped into my mind the other day when I was thinking about movies I love that would be cute as a fic as well. So here is MY version of A Cinderella Story, the movie starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. Though my version stars our fantastic Know-It-All and a certain Slytherin Prince. :)_

_Please leave comments/reviews and tell me what you think! And if you have a movie you love that you'd love to see as a fic, let me know! I'm always looking for more movies to watch and more inspiration! - Spense_

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"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Headmistress McGonagall said as everyone filled into the Great Hall. "And welcome back to all our wonderfully brave students who've come back to finish their educations after everything that's happened in the last year." She glanced to the Trio, who gave her a calm nod. "This year will be as great as any year, though we are rebuilding, we are as strong as we ever were. Shall we start the sorting ceremony?"

As the first years finished being sorted and the golden platters began to fill with food, Harry turned to his friends. "How are you guys holding up?" He swung his legs over the bench and got comfortable beside Hermione.

"Oi, I'm fine!" Ron said, loading his plate full of food. "Honestly, glad to be back in some form of a good routine." He waved down the table at some of Ginny's friends who had taken a liking to him. "Hermione?" Ron added, touching her arm to get her attention. Things had been awkward for them after the events of the Chamber. He had tried to talk to Hermione about it multiple times, but whenever he brought it up, she immediately went quiet.

Hermione snapped out of her daydream, which she seemed to be doing a lot more frequently. She wasn't quite herself these days. "Oh, I'm fine." She looked between the boys, not really meeting Ron's eyes. "Really, I'm fine." She absentmindedly rubbed her arm where her scar still burned slightly. "I'm just glad to be home." She glanced up at the teacher's table, where she met McGonagall's eyes and received a small smile.

"I'll cheers to that!" Harry said, raising his glass. "Here's to us. To home. To finally being free." Ron and Hermione joined Harry in his toast, clinking their glasses and laughing.

As they were finishing up, McGonagall tapped her glass and everyone in the Hall fell silent. "If I could have your attention, I'd like to personally choose the Head Boy and Girl. Now, as many of you know, our wonderful students from last year didn't get to have a real school year. And we have 3 students who didn't have a seventh year at all. I'd like to ask Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy to come to the front, please."

"MALFOY?" Ron asked. "HEAD BOY? WHY, THAT'S JUST THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I'VE EVER HEARD! THAT PRICK DOESN'T DESERVE HEAD BOY."

Harry shushed him as he gave Hermione a small smile. "It'll be fine. Go on, we're right here."

Hermione returned Harry's smile and walked slowly up to stand next to Draco. "Hello, Malfoy." she said cautiously, "You look well."

"Granger." He said, meeting her eyes for a few seconds. She thought for sure she saw a glimmer of something, but she wasn't sure. He turned toward McGonagall, effectively ending their conversation.

"As the two students with the highest grades, last year notwithstanding, it is my honor to appoint you as Head Boy and Girl," McGonagall said, handing each a pin. Hermione's pin was a beautiful ruby stone with a gold ribbon saying "Head" and Draco's a stunning emerald stone accented by a silver ribbon. "I'm putting my utmost trust in the two of you, please, help me keep order. Lord knows I'm going to need it."

"Of course, Headmistress. It would be our pleasure." Draco said, taking his pin. "We will do our best to put our troubled past behind us and work together to make this year at Hogwarts the best." He looked at Hermione, gave her a curt nod, and walked back over to the Slytherin table, where Pansy Parkinson linked her arm with his.

Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor table and sat back down next to Harry. "Well, that was… different." She said. "He didn't have as much distaste in his voice when he said my name as he usually does."

"He's got no reason to say your name at all!" Ron said, his face turning pink. "What a stupid git. If I get anywhere near him, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind"

"Well, I mean, he kind of does," Harry said, scratching his head. "They're both Heads now, so that means they'll be working together and communicating a lot…"

"Shut up, Harry. I know that. I don't have to like it, though." Ron retorted, the color from his face moving to his ears.

"Too true." The trio sat and ate in silence, save for the few new students that came over to meet them. Harry was glad that Hermione and Ron were getting as much recognition as he was, more so even, maybe.

"Well, let's go boys. Time for bed." Hermione said, not touching her dinner much. "I'm not really hungry and we have a big day tomorrow."

Ron looked up at her with his mouth full of food. "Really?" Ron began to shove food in his pockets, making sure to forgo any dessert he'd thought he wanted.

Harry let out a laugh. "Why don't you go ahead, 'Mione. We'll be up in a bit." He helped Ron put the food back on his plate.

"Okay, good night, you two," Hermione said as she stood and left the hall. She decided that she wanted to take the castle in, the last time she was there it had mostly been destroyed.

She began following the familiar route to the Gryffindor common room, but turned down the hallway that led to the Astronomy tower. She wasn't really paying attention, she was just wandering. She wasn't tired so much as she just needed to be alone. The last year had taken its toll on her and she wasn't sure that she could ever be her old self again.

As she walked past a familiar wall on the seventh floor, she began thinking of a place where she could just be quiet and comfortable; with lots of books to help her study and relax. She walked past the wall twice more and there it was. The door to her solitary new hideout, the Room of Requirement.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione entered the Room of Requirement and felt like a weight was lifted off her chest. It had transformed itself into a small, cozy library filled to the brim with books. There was a small fireplace in the corner and a huge white armchair beside it, draped with the most beautiful red and gold blanket. Next to the chair, was a medium sized white table, with a quill and a gold leather bound journal on it.

Hermione sat in the chair and sighed. She finally felt comfortable, for the first time in almost a year. She picked up the journal and flipped through the pages. It was completely blank, save for the writing on the inside cover, '_For when you're feeling alone.'_

"Well, I am usually feeling alone, mysterious journal," Hermione said to herself. "I should have this checked for enchantments." She tucked the journal under her arm and got up from the chair. She ran her hand along the spines of the books on the shelf closest to her. "I will definitely be back."

She walked into the common room and Ron and Harry were up waiting for her. "Oh, hi. I didn't realize you'd be waiting up." She tried to hide the journal behind her back, but Harry saw it and grabbed it out of her hands.

"Hermione, what's this?" He asked, flipping through the pages. "Where did you find this?"

"Oh, it was just on the floor. I tried to find the owner but couldn't. I'm planning to ask Flitwick to check it for charms tomorrow." She answered.

Harry looked at Hermione and handed the journal back. "You can trust us, you know." Ron nodded his head.

Hermione was taken aback. Hadn't she trusted them all this time? What did he mean by that? "I know," was all she said. She took the journal back and set it in her lap. The gold seemed to be dancing on the cover in the light of the fire. "Well, we've got classes early, let's head to bed and get some sleep, yeah?"

Harry and Ron shared a look, but said "Yeah, g'night." And watched as Hermione walked up the girls' staircase and headed to bed.

"I'm worried about her," Ron said, not moving from his spot on the couch. "She's much too quiet."

"I know," Harry added. "This isn't like her, but if she won't talk to us, we can't force her."

"She's right, we should go to bed. C'mon." Ron said. The boys looked up the girls' staircase one more time before heading up their own staircase to head to bed. They nodded to Neville and Dean and Seamus and crawled into bed.

The next morning, Hermione was already in the Great Hall when Harry and Ron came down to breakfast. She was beaming as they sat down, and Ron began loading his plate full of sausage and eggs. "Good morning!" She said.

"Morning, Hermione," Harry said, scratching his head. "What's got you in such a good mood?

"Well, I visited Professor Flitwick as soon as I was sure he was up this morning to have the journal checked. He did every counter enchantment he could think off, and the journal seems to be fine." Hermione said. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Professor Flitwick had said the only enchantment it had was an enchantment where anything she wrote in it disappeared in hers and reappeared in a matching journal that belonged to someone else. She was kind of upset that she didn't know who the other belonged too, but part of her was excited to have someone to talk to about her problems and not be judged.

"Oh, that's alright, then," Ron said, his mouth empty for once. "It's just a diary."

"Journal, Ron." Harry corrected.

"Journal, then. What's the difference? Aren't a journal and a diary basically the same thing?"

"A journal contains feelings, emotions, problems, and self-assurance and can be used to evaluate one's life. For a journal, one does not just record one's experiences but also thoughts, feelings, and reflections." Hermione said, taking a drink of tea.

"If you say so," Ron said, adding more food to his plate.

McGonagall walked up to the table and handed the three of them their schedules for the year. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, you'll notice you have most of the same classes. Please do not use this as an excuse to goof around."

"Yes, Professor." Harry and Ron said in unison.

"As for you, Miss Granger, we both know that there are few classes left at Hogwarts you have left to take, so I'd like to offer you a student teaching position in Transfiguration and Charms, as well as your Head Girl duties, of course."

"Oh, wow." Hermione gasped, "That would be amazing, I'd love to!"

"Perfect, let me just adjust your schedule here," McGonagall said, waving her hand over Hermione's paper. "There we are. No more free periods." McGonagall handed the paper to Hermione. "Please, don't hesitate to let me know if this workload is too much for you."

"Oh, well, you know how she is, Professor," Ron said, chuckling. "She wouldn't complain about homework, even if it killed her!"

Hermione, Harry, and McGonagall just gave Ron a look before Harry smacked his arm.

"Also, Miss Granger," McGonagall started, "I need you and Mr. Malfoy to meet me in my office before your first classes today, I've important Head news to share with you."

"Of course, Professor, I was just finishing up anyway. I'll head there now." Hermione said, standing up from the table. She turned to the boys, "I'll see you later, okay? Have a good day of classes!" She waved and headed out the front door.

As she was leaving the Hall, Draco walked up beside her. "Hello, Granger." He said, falling into step beside her without either of them realizing. "What do you think Professor McGonagall could possibly want to tell us already?" He asked, running his left hand through his hair.

"Good morning, Malfoy," Hermione said. "I'm sure it has something to do with the Ball I've heard rumors of throughout the common room."

"A ball?" Draco asked. "Another ball? Why in the world would there be another ball?"

"I think the Professors want to start a tradition to distract from the pain and suffering of the last year," Hermione said, absentmindedly rubbing her scar again. Draco noticed but didn't say anything. "I don't think it's a bad idea, honestly. The world could use a little bit of kindness these days."

"That's a very interesting way of looking at things I guess," Draco said, pulling his sleeve over his Dark Mark.

"If you're looking for some tricks to cover that, I've found a book in the library with spells that work at covering up scars…" Hermione said.

Draco's demeanor changed slightly and he seemed to relax just a bit. "Thank you, I'll consider that."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling. It was comforting to see a glimpse of the real Draco, although it was a small glimpse past his usual hard facade.

They finished the walk to Professor McGonagall's office in comfortable silence.


End file.
